Volume 8 Chapter 20 Kinpira Fleet
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Mid-July. The midterm exams were right around the corner, and we’d finally reached the twenty-fifth floor. We’d been using every dungeon training session to explore Kinpira Palace, pushing to clear one floor per day. It was the very last moment to reach the boss.
We should’ve had a buffer—we’d even made some free runs outside of training back in May. But I’d gotten cocky. Thought we had time to spare. Figured we could squeeze in another dungeon on the side. And now we were cutting it way too close.
Today, for once, there weren’t that many people waiting to enter the dungeon. We filed our application for training purposes and got in within thirty minutes.
Final checks at the twenty-fifth floor entrance. Unlike the previous twenty-four floors, this boss floor didn’t recreate a gate-town. The torii gate entrance was the same, but everything else was different. In front of us: a harbor. The dungeon stretched out into an open sea.
Moored ahead was a strangely shaped vessel, maybe thirty meters long. It had a token helm station and a deck about the size of a twenty-five-meter elementary school pool, surrounded by low rails. If it didn’t have an engine, you’d call it a raft. We had to board this ship, sail out, and fight the boss on the water.
The sea was almost completely flat and calm. And out in the distance, fog hung thick over the water. No sign of the boss.
”Just like the intel said. The ship’s… at least it’s not some crappy sailboat.”
”Hey, I’ll take an engine over nothing.”
”Yeah.”
We all checked the helm station together. Manual steering was possible—forward, reverse, changing direction—but it looked like autopilot was the smarter call.
”Manual control is a last resort, for emergencies only.”
”If autopilot can’t handle it, I’ll take over. Everyone else focuses on the fight.”
”If we clear this today, we max out our practical exam score. No one else has cleared it yet. Let’s be the first!”
”Mitsuki’s right. Since we’re going for it, might as well aim for the hundred-point finish. Everyone, I’m counting on you.”
”YES!” they chorused.
Once everyone was on board, the engine started on its own. The ship slowly pulled away from the dock and sailed out onto the calm sea.
We gathered in the center of the deck and waited.
A few hundred meters out from the harbor, the fog suddenly closed in. Visibility dropped to nearly zero.
”They’re coming! It’ll start as soon as we clear the fog!”
I called out a warning to the others—they were right there beside me—and a few seconds later, the fog cleared.
In our field of view: five unmanned ships identical to ours, and one larger passenger vessel. Our ship merged into the formation, taking its place among the six escort ships circling the passenger vessel.
Another ship approached in the distance.
Boss fight, first wave: passenger ship escort. This was the warm-up—we had to fend off incoming pirate ships using the escort vessels as footholds. If the passenger ship in the center was sunk, we’d fail and get forcibly ejected from the dungeon. Forced ejection from mission failure didn’t trigger Escape Balls, but it also didn’t count as death, so there was that. Still, we could die from damage, so no slacking off.
The first wave of attackers: small fishing boats, just big enough for one person. Each carried a single fishman—human from the neck down, but with a fish head, scales covering their bodies, and those unsettling eyes. Once the fishmen had us in range, they’d hurl harpoons. A harpoon hit to the engine reduced the ship’s durability; ignore them too long and we’d sink. If the fishing boats got close enough, the fishmen would abandon ship and try to hijack an escort vessel. A hijacked ship would then ram the passenger vessel. Too much damage to the passenger vessel and it was over.
”Risa, you’re on the passenger ship with sniper support. Asari, you cover Risa.”
”Got it!”
”Yes!”
Asari conjured a crystal bridge between the passenger ship and our escort vessel. Risa crossed over and took position at the highest point on the passenger ship, leveling her SR-type—Sniper Rifle-type—magic pistol. One shot, one fishman, and the fishing boat dissolved into mist along with him.
The rest of us split up across the different escort ships.
There were too many fishing boats coming from every direction for Risa to handle alone. The rest of us had to intercept any fishmen that made it aboard.
At first, Risa’s sniper fire handled everything. But the attackers kept coming faster, and eventually, they overwhelmed what one SR-type could manage. We’d already established priority order for when Risa had to choose who to abandon: me first, then Chifumi, then Yurina, then Mitsuki. And sure enough, a fishman boarded my ship.
The fishman lunged with its harpoon. They weren’t individually strong—I dodged easily without even using Rei’s sorcery—and I punched a hole through its chest with Shock magic. The fishman dissolved into smoke.
Across the way, Yurina was squaring off against another fishman on a different escort ship. She cut it down without breaking a sweat. That was a relief, but the real threat was the sheer numbers. More little boats kept appearing, each carrying a fishman, trying to drown us in numbers alone.
Risa kept up her sniping—one shot, one kill—but she was busy defending the unmanned escort ships. The fight devolved into chaos.
After we’d dealt with about thirty fishmen, the rush finally started to thin out. We mopped up the stragglers and took a breath.
Across the way, Yurina was breathing hard, but she was unscathed. I couldn’t see past the passenger ship to where Chifumi and Mitsuki were, but Asari’s gestures suggested everything was fine on that side too.
The fog rolled in again. First wave done. Second wave starting.
A deep horn sounded from within the fog. BOOOOOOOM. Strange—I couldn’t pinpoint the direction. It felt like it was coming from everywhere at once. Then the fog cleared.
In the distance: a massive warship. Not a modern dreadnought, thank god—this was from a hundred years ago, back when ships used cannons. The last thing we needed was a Phalanx system.
Our escort ships shifted formation. Six ships arranged themselves as a wall between the passenger vessel and the ghost warship: parallel course, broadside to broadside.
From this point on, it was a branching path. If we were lucky, the ghost warship would approach and we’d go straight to the final boss fight. But… it wasn’t approaching. We’d drawn the bad luck branch. Well, that’s how it goes.
Which meant: second wave, cannon duel.
This wave was relatively easy if you knew the trick. Dodge the cannonballs, hit the ship with ranged attacks. Simple.
Smoke rose from the cannons along the warship’s side.
”Incoming! Front!”
We all scrambled. Seconds later, a massive magic bullet screamed past and slammed into the escort ship we’d just been on. The deck erupted in flames—then the fire vanished, seconds later. Strange, but the deck was completely unharmed.
More smoke.
”Stay put!”
The next cannonball hit another escort ship, set the deck ablaze, and then the fire died. After that, a pattern appeared on one of the escort ships. We jumped over, I channeled mana into the pattern—and the ritual sorcery activated, launching a massive fireball at the ghost warship. Seconds later, impact. The warship burned.
And then we repeated the process. Dodge the ghost warship’s attacks as they targeted each escort ship in turn, wait for the counterattack window to open, then hit the warship hard enough to clear the phase.
Sometimes the ghost warship’s cannons would fake smoke, or the counterattack pattern would appear even while they were still firing consecutively. Making the wrong move meant eating serious damage. Apparently this whole second phase was based on a parlor game called “Kinpira Fleet.” Go figure.
Later in the phase, multiple cannonballs would fly at once, and the counterattack windows got shorter. The weather would worsen too—rain made the decks slippery, smoke got harder to see through. But the core loop was the same.
You could also defend with sorcery instead of dodging, so the higher your mana capacity and defense skills, the better. Since the passenger ship never took hits, the safest approach was to have everyone retreat there and keep spamming ranged attack sorcery. It burned mana and time, but it worked. We didn’t have the mana capacity for that, so we had to go with the dodge-and-counter approach.
Three consecutive volleys of four cannonballs each. We dodged them all—Rei’s perception ability and Hinoki’s “hunch” warning system were pulling their weight.
Our eighth counterattack landed. The ghost warship sounded its horn again, ceased fire, and started approaching. Second wave done. Next up: the third.
The warship closed in. If no one was on its deck, that meant the final battle. But as it got closer, I could see fishmen and skeletal crew swarming the deck. We’d drawn the bad luck path again. This was getting rough for a team with our total mana pool.
Fishmen leaped off the enemy deck into the water, swimming toward our ships. Third wave meant handling fishmen like the first wave, while also dealing with the warship.
BOOM! BOOM! The heavy bass thudded in my gut as cannonballs came screaming in. Asari’s Crystal Wall materialized over our escort ship, blocking the shots. It didn’t absorb the impact—the ship shuddered with every hit—but the crystal held.
Risa fired back with her RL-type—Rocket Launcher-type—magic pistol. The shot took out one of the warship’s cannons, along with the skeleton crew reloading it.
”Chifumi!”
”Yes!”
Chifumi and I added our own ranged attack sorcery to the mix—shockwave blasts, ice shells. A second RL shot disabled another cannon. Four out of five were down when the fishmen reached our ships and climbed aboard for close-quarters combat on deck.
The last RL shot took out the final cannon. But the fishmen kept coming, and the positioning shifted. The ghost warship slowed, circling around behind the passenger vessel to the opposite side. Our escort ships kept intercepting, staying between the passenger ship and the warship.
The moment I circled around to the complete opposite side, the attacks intensified again. Since the boarding deck was now on the side opposite the direction of travel, leaving the fishmen already on board would mean getting surrounded. Even a large fishman general wearing a kabuto helmet started appearing.
What’s more, all five cannons on the strange warship were still intact.
We had to deal with the fishmen’s numerical assault while being targeted by those cannons. Every time the cannons fired, our escort ship listed heavily to the side. We had to neutralize those cannons first with Crystal Wall and the RL—otherwise, we’d be in serious trouble. We managed to destroy all the cannons before we ran out of RL warheads.
The fishman general was a tough opponent, but without cannon support, he wasn’t someone we’d lose to. Before long, the fishmen were completely wiped out.
That wrapped up Wave Three.
Next was the final one—Wave Four.
The strange warship had closed in so much it was practically touching our escort ship. Then, a massive explosion rocked the vessel, sending pillars of fire shooting skyward. Two large aberrations emerged, fleeing from that deck and leaping onto our ship.
One was a hulking skeleton wearing a jingasa hat, dressed in kimono with a concealed sword. The other was a giant fishman clad in full samurai armor, equipped with a matchlock gun and a spear. Both stood over three meters tall.
The bosses: “Chivalrous Skeleton and Fishman Pirate Captain.”
We had to exorcise these bastards.
I left the skeleton to Mitsuki and Yurina while I took on the fishman.
According to prior intel, these fishmen often retreated into the sea to stall for time. Apparently, having Inherent sorcery specialized for underwater combat would give you an advantage—but that wasn’t an option for us. We also couldn’t have Tempura or Kaname take him on. So I had to take this guy down fast, before he could escape from the center of the deck to the open sea. Along with Asari, Risa, and Chifumi—the four of us—we’d finish him in one decisive strike.
The fishman thrust his harpoon at me as I closed in.
I dodged and, as I passed him, fired a shockwave straight into his chest armor. Damn, the boss was tough. I’d meant to shatter him, but while his armor was heavily deformed, the aberration itself was still intact.
But I wasn’t about to let him fly off the ship and land in the sea. He slammed into a Crystal Wall I’d generated at the ship’s edge and tumbled back onto the deck. Asari constructed a crystalline cage, sealing the enemy in so he couldn’t escape the ship. Risa’s SR-type attacks and Chifumi’s ice sorcery rained down on the downed fishman. Both were reduced by the enemy’s armor resistance, though. So we aimed to break his weapons and armor first.
Before the fishman could regain his stance, the two girls’ relentless barrage shattered his armor and bent his helmet crest. I followed up with consecutive Shock magic blasts, and even the boss aberration finally took massive damage.
”——————!!!!!”
The fishman let out a piercing shriek. Light flickered beneath his feet, the surrounding sea began to churn, and then—fish burst forth. Hundreds of flying fish with blade-like fins. The airborne school moved with perfect unison, darting through the air like birds and charging straight at me.
First, Asari’s Crystal Wall bought us some time. Chifumi’s freezing-area sorcery slowed the swarm, but with a grinding screech, the flying fish carved through the Crystal Wall like rotary saws, breaking through.
Flame grenade rounds slammed into the swarm that had breached the crystal—some of the flying fish were incinerated and vanished, but the survivors pressed forward as a mass.
This attack had homing properties. I’d have to wipe out every last fish or they’d keep targeting their prey indefinitely—a famous attack pattern. But of course, I’d come prepared. I summoned a massive Scale Earthworm we’d recently subjugated, one we’d named “Moo.”
Moo collided with the flying fish swarm, spinning its entire body at high speed. Its scales ground down the flying fish. The clash between the rotary saw swarm and the spinning endmill—one that possessed self-regeneration—ended in the endmill’s victory.
The moment all the flying fish were ground down to nothing, the light beneath the fishman’s feet vanished, and he dropped to one knee. Since we’d destroyed all the fish within the time limit, the boss aberration was left wide open. Time to end this!
”Ooooh!!!”
I closed in and unleashed Shock magic at point-blank range, blasting the fishman into oblivion.
Now only one remained.
”———!!!!!!”
Suddenly, a powerful Mana wave erupted from the chivalrous skeleton locked in combat with Yurina. The pressure forced them to back off as the skeleton drove its concealed blade into the ship’s deck.
”Fall back!” I shouted.
Everyone scrambled onto the other ship—away from the skeleton.
In the next instant, countless sword blades burst up through the floor where the skeleton stood.
As the skeleton walked across the ship, now bristling with swords like a bed of nails, it moved to where the fishman had vanished and picked something up. Raising it to its mouth, the skeleton grew a full size larger. Two new bone arms sprouted from its back, each wielding a harpoon and a gun.
The classic pattern when aberrations appeared in pairs: if you took one down, the survivor absorbed its power and grew stronger. Given our group, it was actually easier to let the skeleton get buffed than the fishman, from a compatibility standpoint. So taking out the fishman first was all part of the plan.
The skeleton, now empowered by the fishman’s strength, leaped onto my ship.
Had it figured out I was the leader? Or sensed I was the strongest? Either way, this worked out perfectly—I’d meant to fight it myself.
The skeleton attacked with three weapons in seamless coordination. I dodged and blocked, looking for an opening to counter. But Chifumi and Risa’s covering fire was intercepted by the harpoon and gunfire from its extra arms. That left the skeleton’s main attacks—sword strikes and grabs—the same fighting style it’d been using all along. Watch closely enough, and it was avoidable.
In the gap when Risa’s Magic Bullets ran out, the skeleton’s free extra arm aimed its gun straight up and fired. The Mana cluster exploded overhead, raining down like a storm.
”Guh…!” I grunted.
Crystal Walls, each about the size of a tatami mat, appeared above everyone’s heads to block the rain. Given Asari’s remaining Mana, this was about the best she could manage for now. We needed to end this quickly.
I dodged the skeleton’s sword and forcibly drove a shockwave into it.
I trusted Mitsuki to handle the minor wounds and pressed the attack. Yurina, meanwhile, was praying for my victory while holding off the occasional fishman general reinforcements trying to get near me.
The skeleton put some distance between us and leaped to another ship in a single breath. It secured a safe zone and summoned two swarms of flying fish—two sets of rotary saws. It tried to crush Moo between them, but Moo was tougher; both swarms were ground down and vanished.
I moved in close as the skeleton raised its gun and fired a barrage of water-attribute sorcery.
Multiple water bullets shattered and pierced through the Crystal Wall that appeared before me. I was already committed to closing the distance, focusing entirely on my attack charge—I left the defense to the others. Just as I’d expected, the water bullets turned to ash in a flash of intense flame before they could reach me.
I pushed through, ignoring the water cannon fire. The skeleton assumed a textbook Iaijutsu stance and unleashed a single flash-strike with its concealed blade. But I was faster—I drove a maximum-output Shock magic blast straight into its sternum. The sound of hard bone cracking echoed as fissures spread through the skeleton’s entire body from where my fist connected. It buckled at the knees and, simultaneously, crumbled into fine bone dust that dissipated like smoke.
What remained behind were the drop items: a jingasa hat and a wooden staff. The armor and weapon the skeleton had been equipped with. If I’d hit the jackpot, I’d have gotten the concealed blade—but this time, it was a miss. Just a plain wooden stick.
After I’d collected the items and the skeleton had vanished completely, explosions echoed from the strange warship as it slowly began to sink.
The ship sank in sync with the skeleton’s annihilation, and ahead, I could finally see the harbor.
Our escort ship took a different course from the passenger liner, which continued on its way; only our ship turned toward the harbor. From the receding liner, I heard something like a dog’s distant howl—”Waoón.”
Right beyond where our ship docked stood a torii gate. Beyond it, a wall of rippling black.
The stairway leading to the 26th stratum—Kinpira Palace’s Shrine Grounds.
After we’d disembarked, we decided to take a short break before moving on to the next stratum.
”We pulled it off,” I said.
”Good work~,” Chifumi replied.
”I’m so tired—!” Mitsuki groaned.
Chifumi and Mitsuki were clearly exhausted too. Four consecutive battles, jumping from ship to ship, going nonstop the entire time. I’d studied the strategy guide and knew what to expect, but it was still way tougher than I’d imagined.
Everyone sat down. Especially Risa and Asari—they could barely stay on their feet.
”I used up all the Majo’s Tears…” Asari said quietly.
”When the RL warheads ran out, I thought we were done for,” Chifumi said with a shudder. “Good thing we got past Wave Three without needing to rely on Asunaro. Also—we got seriously unlucky, didn’t we? Four consecutive battles is brutal.”
”Statistically, the chance of four consecutive battles is about five percent,” Risa said, her voice strained. “Eighty percent of the time, it ends after two.”
”That’s just Minoru’s bad luck at work…” Mitsuki sighed.
”They say groups that clear four consecutive battles on their first try are destined for greatness,” Asari offered.
”Doesn’t that just mean you can’t clear four consecutive battles unless you’re good enough to be destined for greatness?” I countered.
”Maybe it does…” Risa murmured.
The two had been positioned on the elevated deck, constantly firing sniping shots and defensive spells—they looked wiped. Their complexions were pale, their Mana nearly depleted. The three Majo’s Tears we’d given them were almost empty. They’d need to rest until they’d replenished enough Mana to move normally. Honestly, this had been an incredibly Mana-draining fight.
The scale of this dungeon was on a completely different level from what we’d faced before, and the gimmicks were insane. Experiencing it firsthand was overwhelming.
The Leylines’ power is flowing in through some thick pipes, I reckon.
This was nothing like the Naruse family estate dungeon.
”We’re moving to the next stratum—but once we do, we’re exiting the dungeon immediately,” I announced. “We’re not sticking around, so follow my lead.”
From the next stratum onward, nasty aberrations would start appearing. No way I wanted to fight in our current condition.
Once Risa and Asari were able to move, we transferred to the 26th stratum and immediately retreated.
After selling the drop items, we stepped out of the administration building.
We were about to head off for our usual teatime until my aunt came to pick us up—when Risa made a suggestion.
She said a chain café near the parking lot would be fine for today. Walking was apparently too much trouble. So we claimed the window seats on the second floor of a chain store right next to the parking lot and sat there, drinking coffee and staring blankly outside.
I spotted a group of classmates who’d just finished their expedition.
It was Utsui’s group. He was talking with a girl wearing a Shisei High School Academy uniform. All in all… twelve people. Judging from the uniforms, it was the opposing group for the Exchange Battle.
Utsui should have made it to the 25th stratum as well. Could it be that he’d used Warifu to clear it with twelve people? In boss battles, numbers were what mattered. And the number of aberrations that appeared didn’t scale with the number of allied sorcerers. The more people you had, the easier the clear.
This was exactly why Manaka had offered cooperative support during boss battles before.
”According to information from Manaka-chan~,” Chifumi said, “Utsui-san’s exchange group was apparently planning to assist with Warifu~. Looking at that scene~, it seems pretty certain~.”
”Hmph. So weak!” I declared, mimicking the taunt Utsui had thrown at me back in the Guidance Room. “A man so pathetic he can’t even challenge a boss without borrowing the power of Strong-Females from other groups!”
Mitsuki tilted her head. “Huh? What’s with the weird character act?”
”Is that an imitation of him~?” Chifumi asked, suppressing a smile.
The two Majo sitting on either side of me—Mitsuki looked confused, while Chifumi caught on immediately.
”You got it?” I asked.
”Of course I got it~,” Chifumi said dryly. “It’s so dumb, please never do it again~.”
”Sorry…” I muttered.
Utsui must have felt our gazes, because he glanced over. He definitely noticed us, but he didn’t react at all and simply walked away. Hah. Lucky break for you, you weakling!
”Minoru~?” Chifumi said in a warning tone. “It’s not like it’s okay as long as you don’t say it out loud, you know~? Please stop that attitude~.”
”Yes…” I sighed.
Scolded again.
After Utsui was out of sight, I spotted another familiar face.
It was Seno’s group. I’d heard that Seno and the others hadn’t reached the boss stratum yet. The practical exam pass line was the 18th stratum, and they’d already reached that—they’d said they planned to take it slow from there.
When they noticed us, they made a gesture that said “Good work, catch you later,” and I returned it.
Seno waved as she walked toward the station with her group.
”Speaking of which,” I said, “I haven’t seen the remaining group recently.”
”I heard they switched to Tower Dungeon~,” Chifumi replied.
”At this time of year? Did they mess up and burn through their Escape Balls?”
”From what I’ve heard~, it’s not that,” Chifumi said. “Seems like there’s some other reason~.”
”I see. As long as it doesn’t affect us, it’s fine. I’ll ask Seno next time I run into her.”
A few minutes after Seno disappeared from view, I spotted my aunt’s Microbus pulling into the parking lot. I chugged down the rest of my coffee and stood up. Risa and Asari were walking steadily too. At this rate, they should be able to handle today’s duties properly.
So I had my aunt take everyone to my house.
On the bus, Mitsuki told my aunt we’d cleared the boss stratum, and she said she’d celebrate with us sometime.
Summer break was coming up, so maybe I could ask to use the villa on Onigashima. I’d put that on hold for now. This summer was shaping up to be fun.
—
Summary:
The party reaches the twenty-fifth floor of Kinpira Palace with barely any time to spare before their midterm exams. They fight through three increasingly difficult waves: defending a passenger ship from fishmen, surviving a cannon duel against a ghost warship using parlor game mechanics, and finally facing a combined assault that pushes their limited mana capacity to the breaking point. The chapter ends with the ghost warship circling to the opposite side, leaving the outcome of the third wave hanging unresolved.
The protagonist’s group successfully clears the fourth and final wave, defeating the fishman boss and then the empowered skeleton boss, before retreating to the harbor. After selling drop items and taking a break at a café, they observe other groups, including Utsui’s twelve-person Warifu strategy and Seno’s slower approach, while discussing the missing group. The protagonist’s aunt drives them home, and plans for summer break at the Onigashima villa are hinted at but not finalized.
—
Trivia:
The party originally had a time buffer from free exploration in May but wasted it on another dungeon.
Forced ejection from mission failure does not trigger Escape Balls and does not count as death.
The second wave’s “Kinpira Fleet” mechanic is based on a parlor game.
The party has low mana capacity, forcing them to use dodge-and-counter tactics instead of defensive sorcery.
Risa’s priority order for abandoning targets is: protagonist, Chifumi, Yurina, Mitsuki.
The weather worsens during the second wave with rain and reduced visibility.
Rei and Hinoki provide crucial perception support for dodging attacks.
The party drew the “bad luck” branch both in the second and third waves.
Asari’s Crystal Wall blocks cannonballs but does not absorb impact, causing the ship to shudder with each hit.
The ghost warship has five cannons total, all of which are disabled by the end of the third wave.
The fishman boss uses a homing flying fish swarm attack that persists until every single fish is destroyed.
The skeleton boss absorbs the fishman’s power when it picks up its remains, gaining two extra arms and weapons.
The protagonist’s group planned to kill the fishman first because the skeleton’s power-up was easier to handle for their team composition.
Four consecutive battles have only a 5% statistical chance of occurring; most runs end after two battles.
The practical exam pass line is the 18th stratum; Seno’s group has reached it and is taking a slow approach.
Utsui’s group is using Warifu with twelve people to clear the 25th stratum boss, exploiting the fact that enemy numbers don’t scale with allied sorcerer count.
The missing group apparently switched to Tower Dungeon for unspecified reasons.
The protagonist’s group has a summoned creature named “Moo,” a massive Scale Earthworm they recently subjugated.
The Leylines’ power is described as flowing through thick pipes, suggesting a structural difference from the Naruse family estate dungeon.
The drop item from the skeleton boss was a jingasa hat and a wooden staff—the concealed blade was a “miss” drop.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• K – A student from East Middle who followed N to National High School out of care, successfully remaining pure through N’s protection until a misunderstanding involving Anonymous Student 0008 led to her capitulation.
• M – A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• T – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• A – A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R’s high school squad.
• B – A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S’s group.
• N – A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.
• Mitsuki – Eldest daughter of the Onigahara estate, this 188 cm science-track classmate has short brown hair, a lean athletic build, an I-cup, and a mischievous grin. A determined vanguard and healer in Minoru’s group, she uses a golden mace and Oni-Transformation Sorcery. She bickers friendlily with Minoru, coordinates with Manaka’s companions, and uses recovery magic for service play and training.
• S – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• Asari – A tall (175cm), braided black-haired Kasakura honor student with an E-cup, this analytical, quiet, and pragmatic science-track strategist serves as Minoru’s devoted partner and Risa’s future host. Close to Mari and Nagase, she uses a hand-armor gauntlet and Silicic Armor to manifest crystal barriers, switching between Vanguard and Mid-guard. Polite yet lecturing, she is currently recovering from mana exhaustion.
• Risa – A curious humanities student (167cm, light brown semi-long hair, H-cup, black eyes) and the youngest Naruse sister. Playfully assertive and protective of Minoru’s group, this mid-guard sorcerer has no inherent magic but wields magic pistols and Hinoki’s power. When Asunaro takes control, her eyes turn red, enabling fire and lightning sorcery. She is also known to bake cookies for Tatemiya.
• R – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• Chifumi – Eldest daughter of the Takino residence, this 160cm, J-cup kimono-clad sorcerer is Minoru’s childhood friend, Lead Majo, and trusted partner. Sporting a long brown side-tail, her bright, casual personality bridges his group with Manaka’s companions. Wielding a staff with flowing ice/water magic, she manages household admin and rearguard combat while secretly protecting him from the truth.
• Yurina – A stoic, analytical 165cm Plain-folk vanguard with a black ponytail and G-cup. A humanities student and eldest daughter of seven, she uses a katana and Severing Sorcery in Minoru’s party. She protects Chifumi, fights alongside Mitsuki, and addresses Minoru-sama with polite deference. Efficient and loyal, she trusts his judgment despite feeling unsettled by his escalating violence.
• Yuri – A cheerful, energetic, and curvy Higashi High first-year student dating Shibuya. While calculating, she is fiercely loyal, even winning a third-place Best Couple Award with him. She was an acquaintance of Kibe Yurina in middle school. Known for being aggressive toward Hayato and displaying overt favoritism, she is defined by her intense relationships, vibrant spirit, and distinct presence.
• Rei – An electric ray monster referred to as “Old Man Rei.” He speaks with gentle wisdom and scolds others with patience. He was also captured in the wild by Minoru.
• Hinoki – An older classmate and powerful anomaly who speaks with a warm, blunt, Kansai-influenced dialect. Using they/them pronouns, they have a shy yet contrary personality and interact casually with the protagonist. As a mediator in the supernatural community, they secure bodies and support others, having bestowed fragments of their power upon Pape, Kram, and Risa.
• Tempura – A pistol shrimp monster captured in the wild by Minoru. Despite being a former stray, he has won their master’s favor. He serves as the instructor for younger monsters and maintains a gruff but caring demeanor. He is in a romantic relationship with Kaname. A senior monster who scolds Kram for skipping sorcery training. She is mentioned as being holed up with Kaname-chan.
• Kaname – A proud catfish monster with golden curled hair who considers herself the leader of all monsters serving Minoru. She was given to the Tatemiya estate from the Takemani head house as a growth blessing when Minoru was small and has lived there for over a decade. She speaks in refined ojousama speech and initially clashed with Tempura but eventually developed romantic feelings for him. Mentioned as being with Tempura.
• Majo – A member of Minoru’s group whose presence is noted to be vital for success.
• Asunaro – An anomalous White Centipede monster who received a fragment of Hinoki-sama’s power. Known as Lady Asunaro, she resides in Risa’s body, serving as a second interpreter. Saved by Minoru (whom she affectionately calls “Prince Charming”), she speaks with a flat tone but has genuine emotions. Her name is heard during the goodnight sequence, and she belongs to a group with a large presence.
• Minoru – The protagonist and narrator is a black-haired Demon reincarnated from Japan, standing 183cm with sharp eyes. Pragmatic yet internally hurt, this eldest Tatemiya son wrongly believed his childhood friends abandoned him. Serving as ‘master’ to a mixed female group, he uses inherent spatial manipulation sorcery to command a handgun and subjugated monsters like Pape in mid-guard combat.
• Naruse – Naruse is the paternal surname of sisters Anri, Risa, and Momono, separate from their mother’s magical Shoji line. Led by their influential hotel/dungeon manager mother, this wealthy old-money sorcerer family and merchant guild provides institutional support to local establishments. They reside in an understated, modest private estate featuring an integrated dungeon and a small dojo.
• Shisei – An acquaintance involved in high-profile activities.
• Utsui – Classmate from Shisei High School Academy. Leader of another expedition group. Reached the 25th stratum. Previously taunted the protagonist in the Guidance Room. Uses Warifu with twelve people for boss battles.
• Manaka – Manaka Kuga is an elegant, sharp-featured Shisei High student, authoritative circle leader, and strategist for the top-tier Kuga family’s Founding Strong-Females. Minoru’s refined yet direct childhood friend, she uses a short staff for spatial/air-shaping sorcery. Known for her aristocratic bearing and “-chan” honorific, she manages security, led a year-long deception, and orchestrated an exchange battle request.
• Strong-Females – A social designation within the world’s hierarchy.
• Seno – Classmate and acquaintance of the protagonist. Leads another expedition group. Has not reached the boss stratum yet. Reached the 18th stratum (the practical exam pass line). Takes a slow approach to dungeon progression.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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